Tom lay motionless on Lucy's couch, his breathing uneven. After he fainted at her door, Lucy panicked and called Dr. Holiday, the only person who had treated him since the incident.
Minutes later, Dr. Holiday arrived with her portable scanning device.
Lucy hovered anxiously."Doctor, what's wrong with him? Why does he keep passing out like this?"
Dr. Holiday didn't answer immediately. She connected the scanner to Tom's temple. A soft blue glow traveled across his skull as the machine began reading his brain activity.
Then—the doctor's face hardened.
"…This is worse than I expected."
Lucy leaned closer. "What do you mean?"
Dr. Holiday showed her the scan.
Inside Tom's brain were tiny glowing fragments—like broken glass mixed with electricity—scattered through key areas of his memory and sensory processing.
"These," Dr. Holiday said quietly, "are leftover particles from Tom's phone."
Lucy blinked. "Phone? As in… the accident?"
"Yes." The doctor nodded. "When the explosion happened, something from that device entered his brain. These particles are interfering with his senses, causing seizures, hallucinations, and unstable brain activity."
Lucy swallowed hard. "So… you can remove them?"
Dr. Holiday shook her head.
"Removing them now would be dangerous. They've attached themselves to his neurons. If we try to take them out, it could damage his memory… or worse."
Lucy covered her mouth as tears welled up."So what do we do?"
"For now, we monitor him. But Lucy…" Dr. Holiday's voice dropped."These particles don't behave like normal tech debris. They react. Like they're… still alive."
Before Lucy could reply—Tom suddenly jerked on the couch.
His eyes moved rapidly under his eyelids.
His hands twitched.
Dr. Holiday checked the scanner."Oh no. His brain activity is spiking again."
Tom gasped—his back arched—and he let out a choking breath.
Lucy grabbed his hand."Tom! Tom, can you hear me?!"
Then—
The lights in the room flickered.
The television turned on by itself.
Lucy's phone vibrated on the table.
Dr. Holiday stumbled back."Something is syncing with him—pulling energy from the electronics!"
Tom's eyes slowly opened—glowing faintly.
He whispered:
"…Lucy…someone…is watching…"
The room went completely silent.
And then—
the scanner displayed one final message:
"THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING."
Lucy's heart dropped.